If you like something…

Author Notes:Sometimes, rather than experimenting with a sweet potato soufflé or a Bourbon coconut cranberry relish for the most important meal of the year, all you want a simple dish that’s sure to deliver. This parsnip and potato mash is one of my tried-and-true favorites. It’s a cinch to make, it will hold for a couple of days if necessary, and it provides a welcome break from plain old mashed potatoes. Hope you like it as much as I do! —Merrill Stubbs

Combine the garlic, parsnips, potato and enough stock to cover the vegetables in a large saucepan. Add a generous pinch of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are quite tender.

Scoop out about a cup of the hot stock and set aside. Drain the vegetables and return them to the pot. Mash with the crème fraiche and butter, leaving the mixture slightly chunky. (You can use a food mill or a ricer if you prefer a smooth puree.) If the mash seems at all dry, stir in some of the leftover stock, and keep the rest for just before serving.

Stir in the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm and covered, reheating over medium-low heat just before serving and adding a little more stock if necessary. This can be made a day or two ahead of time and refrigerated.

This dish was delightful! The crème fraîche really brought everything together nicely and gave it a nice tang. I made this a day ahead and reheated in the oven at 350 for about 25 min and it was great.

Excellent! I served this with beef short ribs. I told my guests that it was mashed potatoes with a few parsnips thrown in; they loved it! And even better, this was a hostess' dream - I made the dish in the morning, refrigerated it, and re-heated in a double boiler before serving. And, inspired by AntoniaJames' suggestion, I intend to use the cooking liquid for a bean soup - too good to discard. I used creme fraiche and I definitely think it contributed greatly to the taste, but I can see using sour cream or heavy cream in the future, if need be.

Great base idea for something mashed! I modified a bit since I didn't have all the ingredients. I did about 50/50 parsnips and plain baking potatoes, boiled them in vegetable stock (incl tomato in the stock) along with the garlic cloves. When done, I strained all the stock out because it was a bit too red - so then I added a bit of heavy cream and smashed it all with a potato masher. Left it a bit chunky for textural differences between the parsnips and potatoes.